Freak injury, freak goal foil Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer is helped off the Air Canada Centre ice after a collision with teammate Josh Leivo during the opening minute of Thursday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. (Craig Robertson, Toronto Sun)

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On a night of freak occurences, James Reimer head was throbbing, Jonathan Bernier’s ego was bruised and the rest of the Maple Leafs were in a state of shock.

They somehow gave away Thursday night’s game, 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes, as well as losing their 1A goalie Reimer just 32 seconds into the first period. The hard-luck Reimer got a knee to the head from teammate Josh Leivo on an innocent-looking play stoppage after just one shot. He spent the rest of Thursday under observation, while Carolina fired a season high 37 in all at Jonathan Bernier, the fifth straight game the Leafs have been on the wrong end of that stat.

“The hockey gods got back at us,” coach Randy Carlyle said of the Leafs getting to 6-1 before Thursday with less than a 200-foot game.

Carlyle said Reimer had “a headache”, but thought he could stay with the team and practise this weekend. Bernier pointed out the rule that a goalie must leave the game if his mask/helmet is dislodged in such a collision as Reimer and Leivo were involved in.

The Leafs’ 2-0 lead, built in the second period on goals by Joffrey Lupul and Leivo (his first in the NHL) unravelled in the third. There were three goals against in 11 minutes, including a wacky winner that underlined the trouble some NHLers are having with hybrid icing.

Carolina’s Ron Hainsey dumped the puck in with linesman Brad Kovachik’s arm up to signal icing from centre. Many Leafs were thinking whistle, figuring Morgan Rielly would beat Carolina’s Radek Dvorak to the puck. But the wildly spinning disc hit the dasher and found a hole on Jonathan Bernier’s post.

Linesman Don Henderson, closest to the play, had ruled it was a live puck and a quick huddle of all four officials ruled the goal would stand.

“The front linesman waved off the icing at the Leafs’ faceoff dot because the Carolina player was winning the race for the puck,” NHL vice-president of hockey operations Mike Murphy said in an e-mail.

“Also, Bernier attempted to play the puck and in doing so touched the puck, which also would have negated the icing. Correct call.”

Carlyle disagreed Bernier had come out, but otherwise held his tongue. The goalie said the fateful play had a combination of factors.

“I definitely thought it was icing and then I just mis-judged the bounce,” said Bernier, he of a nearly .950 save percentage before the third period. “No excuses, that’s just a bad goal. It’s a long season and those kind of goals will happen once in awhile. We just have to bounce back.

“That (hybrid icing) is the new game and we all have to adjust.”

The night was an emotional swing for Leivo, who inadvertently made contact with Reimer and had to get stitches himself when he crashed into the end boards.

“The puck was loose and Reimer came out to play it ... I couldn’t get out of the way,” Leivo said. “I tried jumping over him and I guess my leg hit his head.”

Reimer, who has tried to overcome issues with puck control, pounced on a puck that was just outside his crease. But his momentum on fresh ice carried him into the path of the nearly 200-pound Leivo, who was hustling back to help. Reimer was on all fours for a few moments talking to trainer Marty Dudgeon, then headed to the dressing room as Bernier scrambled to take off his Leafs ball cap and get his mask on.

Carlyle acknowledged Reimer’s history of related injuries, but hoped there would be no further damage.

Oct. 22 of 2011 was when Montreal’s Brian Gionta cut through the crease and accidentally kneed Reimer as he was in a crouched position. Reimer’s record was 4-0-1 at the time, but recovery took him until the next season. Leafs management put Reimer in something resembling the witness protection program until it was revealed the concussion like symptoms included neck damage.

The latest mishap leaves no doubt that Bernier gets the start Saturday in Chicago.

Bernier was in good form most of Thursday and survived a Jordan Staal breakaway when the latter lost the puck off his stick. Drayson Bowman also missed an empty net.

But the final period began with a Ryan Murphy power-play goal before Eric Staal, circling the slot, tied it on a hard wrist shot.

Lupul collected his sixth goal in the past seven games in the second period, a high shot that got past Ward, but glanced off defenceman Andrej Sekera as he tried to swat it to safety. Leivo and Jay McClement then had a 2-on-1 and the rookie found the short side, leaping into the glass in celebration.

EAT FAST, THE LEAFS NEED YOU

Brett Willows will have a great story to tell at school on Friday morning.

About how he was having dinner on Bloor St., with friends and was told to get to the Air Canada Centre to suit up for the Leafs.

With James Reimer hurt just 32 seconds into the game and both Marlie goalies, Drew MacIntyre and Garret Sparks, on a bus to Rochester for a Friday game, the Leafs needed a backup in a hurry. Reid Mitchell, the club’s director of scouting and hockey administration, tracked down the University of Toronto goalie at a noodle house and did the paperwork for a one-night deal.

Willows made it to the ACC by the first intermission.

“It was definitely quite the turn of events,” Willows told the Varsity Blues’ website. “My phone went off with a call from coach (Darren Lowe). I sprinted down Bloor St., in the next 45 seconds and we jumped in the truck and got down there right away.”

The third-year kinesiology major was kept in the skate sharpening room, but Leafs coach Randy Carlyle planned to thank him personally.

“Their dressing room was awesome,” Willows said. “We have a pretty good setup here at U of T, but they take it to the whole new level.”

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Freak injury, freak goal foil Maple Leafs

On a night of freak occurences, James Reimer wound up on the injured list and Jonathan Bernier and the rest of the Leafs were in a state of shock.

The Maple Leafs lost Thursday night’s game 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes, as well as their 1A goalie Reimer just 32 seconds into the first period with a head-neck issue. The winning goal came on some confusion on an icing. Carolina’s Ron Hainsey dumped the puck in with one linesman signalling icing at center, but the other waving it off. Bernier, who at one time had a 2-0 lead, let up on the puck, which took a weird bounce and glanced in through a miniscule short-side hole.|The officials huddled, but the goal stood.

The hard-luck Reimer suffered another potentially lengthy injury again under weird circumstances. After getting a knee in the head from teammate Josh Leivo on an innocent looking play stoppage, Reimer spent the rest of Thursday under observation, while Bernier made a season-high xx saves.